Yesterday’s #Lebanon cabinet decision to reaffirm State monopoly over the use of force marks a critical turning point. For more than a decade, the Lebanese economy has been held hostage by the erosion of State authority and the fragmentation of power. The consequences have been far-reaching: 1.A weak and struggling productive sector, paralyzed by chronic instability and lack of rule-based governance. 2.Minimal private investment and near-zero foreign direct investment, driven away by uncertainty and competing centers of power. 3.A crippling brain drain in search of security, dignity, and opportunity. 4.Inability to raise international funding for reconstruction with global partners reluctant to invest in a State that does not control its own decision-making. 5.Stretched and fragile public finances with a government that is increasingly unable to sustain basic services and essential spending. Reform and economic recovery start with sovereign legitimacy.